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Guy Fieri’s Trash Can Nachos are legendary and I made them at home. They’re pretty simple and really delicious – all the layers are perfect! That is the key – all the layering of ingredients – which gives you the perfect cheese to chip ratio!
You know there’s nothing worse than a pile of nachos at a restaurant – where the top chips have all the good stuff and the bottom chips are dry! Not with these “Trash Can Nachos”! If you don’t have a trash can – I’ve got ideas for you – so no worries there!
Trash Can Nachos Ingredients
You can make these your own with your favorite ingredients but Guy Fieri serves his Trash Can Nachos with:
- Corn Tortilla Chips – you want thick ones that can hold the toppings
- Super Melty Cheese sauce – super super cheesy!
- SWAP: Jarred nacho cheese sauce
- Better SWAP: My Carlos O’Kelly’s Queso! I think it’s better than his cheese sauce.
- Black Bean Puree – a mix of blended and whole black beans
- SWAP: Can of black beans, rinsed & drained
- Favorite Meat – you can use pulled pork, smoked brisket or even pulled chicken
- SWAP: You can use a pre-made pulled pork like Curlys or make your own “pulled chicken” in the crock pot or air fryer
- Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce – Guy has his own – but I used Williamson Bros BBQ Sauce – it’s my ab fab!
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese – MORE cheese!
- Sour Cream
- Pico de Gallo
- Jalapenos
- Pickled Red Onions – I just pulled the red onions out of my fridge pickle recipe
How to make Trash Can Nachos
Making Trash Can Nachos is all about the prep of the things you can ahead of time and then the layering!
- Make your Super Melty Cheese, Black Bean Puree, Pickled Red Onions and Pico De Gallo ahead of time – recipes are all below
- After those are ready – preheat the oven to 400 and get out your rimmed baking sheet!
- Lay out the chips on the baking sheet
- Top in layers with:
- Super Melty Cheese
- Black Bean Puree
- Pulled Chicken or Pork
- Shredded Cheese
- BBQ Sauce
- Place the baking sheet in the oven for 5-7 minutes until the cheese melts
- While the nachos are in the oven, place a bit of the cheese sauce on your serving plate and center your can over the sauce
- Remove the nachos from the oven and, using a spatula, layer the chips into the can. It’s not going to be pretty or perfect – but pack them in!
- Top everything with your pico, sour cream, jalapenos and pickled red onions
- When you’re ready to serve – in front of your guests of course – slip the can up and off the amazing stack of delicious!
What can I use as a can for Trash Can Nachos
If you don’t have an official Guy Fieri Trash Can like I do – you’ve got options!
- #10 can (i.e. big tin can) – remove the top and bottom and be sure you’ve removed any sharp edges so you don’t cut yourself
- Chimney Starter – if your chimney starter is clean – use it! If it’s not – line it with foil
- Screw the can and just make a stack yourself!
More Recipes for Nachos
- Copycat Tacky Jacks Garbage Nachos
- Pulled Pork Totchos
- Cheeseburger Fries – not nachos but close and delicious!
Other Appetizer Recipes
- Traeger Smoked Queso
- Air Fryer Stuffed Mini Peppers
- Elote (Mexican Corn) in a Cup
Copycat Trash Can Nachos Recipe
Guy Fieri's Trash Can Nachos are legendary and I made them at home – so simple and really delicious – all the layers are perfect! The key is all in the layering – which gives you the perfect cheese to chip ratio!
4.60 from 15 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr
Course Appetizer, Entree
Cuisine American, Mexican
Servings 6 people
Calories 1200 kcal
Ingredients
Super Melty Cheese
- 2 cups half and half
- 1/2 pound Velveeta cubed
- 1/2 pound Smoked Gouda shredded
- 1/2 pound White Cheddar shredded
- 1 tsp Worcestershire
- 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
Black Bean Puree
- 2 15 oz cans Black Beans drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup Chicken stock
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp Chipotle Pepper seasoning
- 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
Pico de Gallo
- 2 cups Roma tomatoes finely diced
- 1/2 cup white onion finely diced
- 2 jalapenos seeded, minced
- 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Nachos
- 16 oz corn tortilla chips
- 3 cups Super Melty Cheese recipe above
- 2 cups Black Bean Puree recipe above
- 2 cups meat of your choice brisket, steak, chicken, pulled pork
- 1/2 cup brown sugar bbq sauce
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 2 cups Pico de Gallo recipe above
- 2 jalapenos thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp pickled red onions
- cilantro
Instructions
Make Ahead: You can (and should) make your meat, black bean puree, pico de gallo and pickled red onions ahead of time
Pickled Red Onions – use the red onions from this refrigerator pickle recipe
Black Bean Puree
Using a blender or food processor, add 3/4 of the rinsed beans, chicken stock and spices
Blend into a puree
Fold in remaining beans for texture
Super Melty Cheese Sauce
Place a small pot on medium heat and bring the half and half to a simmer
Reduce heat to low and whisk in Velveeta until melted
Add in gouda, white cheddar, Worcestershire and Tabasco
Whisk until all cheese is melted
Set aside and keep warm
Trash Can Nachos!
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
On a baking sheet – lay out your chips in a thin, one-chip layer
Drizzle the warm cheese sauce over the chips – make it a heavy drizzle (reserve one spoonful for your plate)
Follow with layers of black beans, shredded cheese, diced meat and bbq sauce
Place nachos in the oven for 5-7 minutes until shredded cheese melts
While the nachos are heating – spoon the remaining cheese sauce on your serving plate
Place your can on the plate (see notes for where to find your own "trash can") over the cheese circle
Remove the nachos from the oven and using a spatula – layer the baked nachos into the can nearly all the way to the top
Garnish the top with sour cream, pico de gallo, jalapenos, pickled red onions and cilantro
Lift the can to reveal your stack of Trash Can Nachos
Notes
Ingredient Swaps – want to make this quicker?
- Black Bean Puree – just use a can or two of black beans, rinsed & drained
- Cheese Sauce – just use a jar of nacho cheese instead of making your own
- Cheese Sauce Swap 2 – make my favorite queso recipe
- Smoked Meat – use Curly’s pre-made pulled pork
Options for your Trash Can
- #10 can (i.e. big tin can) – remove the top and bottom and be sure you’ve removed any sharp edges so you don’t cut yourself
- Chimney Starter – if your chimney starter is clean – use it! If it’s not – line it with foil
- Screw the can and just make a stack yourself!
Nutrition
Serving: 1.5cupsCalories: 1200kcalCarbohydrates: 67.8gProtein: 59.6gFat: 68.3gSaturated Fat: 39.8gCholesterol: 255mgSodium: 2244mgPotassium: 466mgFiber: 7.3gSugar: 22gCalcium: 961mgIron: 4mg
Keyword copycat, nachos
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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Comments
Jessie says
I have had these in his restaurant and these look like a great match. I can not wait to give them a try!Reply
Beth says
These nachos were such a great addition to our movie nights! Big hit here and full of so much flavor! Can’t wait to make this delicious recipe again!Reply
Jac says
WOW! Never had trash can nachos!!! Or even heard of them before but then again I am in rural Scotland! So going to try these as I know my kids will totally love this fun idea 🙂Reply
Kechi says
This is one loaded nachos! Am definitely looking forward to making this, my brood would enjoy it! Thanks so much for sharing!Reply
Sadia Malik says
awesome delicious nachos, cannot wait to make these againReply
Terry Purdy says
Where can I get the official trash can??
Reply
FoodHussy says
My friend got it for me with the GoldBelly kit – that’s how I first tried them! https://www.goldbelly.com/guy-fieri/guys-bbq-trash-can-nachos
Chris says
Excellent. Best SMC recipe I have tried and I tried a lot of them. I did improvise on the recipe. I used whole milk instead of half and half and I used Mexican white cheese.Reply
FoodHussy says
Glad you liked!!!!
